What is Fellowship? - Worthy Christian Forums

Verses:

"God is faithful, through whom you were called into the felloship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:9)

"That which we have seen and heard we report also to you that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." (1 John 1:3)

"But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin." (1 John 1:7)

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (1 Cor. 13:14)

"And they continued steadfastly in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles, in the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 2:42)

"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the fellowship of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the fellowship of the body of Christ?" (1 Cor. 1:10)

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Fellowship is basically two things: First it is the receiving of fellowship from the throne of Grace, through the Son (1 Cor. 1:9). It is the fellowship of the Father and the Son, by the Spirit, to the believer. Second, fellowship is the mutual fellowship of the Body of Christ, between the members of the Body, in that same flowing of fellowship from the throne of Grace (1 John 1:3; 7; 2 Cor. 13:14; cf Acts 2:42; cf. 1 Cor. 10:16). So the flowing out of fellowship goes out from the throne of Grace, into the believers, and from the believers out to one another.

The word in the Greek means "joint participation, common participation." It is actually the issuing of the eternal life from the throne of Grace and it is the flow of eternal life within all the believers. It can be illustrated by the flowing out of the river of water of life from the throne in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:1). All regenerated believers participate in the flow of fellowship from the throne of Grace. This flow is carried out by the Holy Spirit in our regenerated spirit. Therefore, it is called "The fellowship of the Holy Spirit" (2 Cor. 13:14), and the fellowship of our spirit (Phil. 2:1). It is in this flow of fellowship that we, the believers participate in all that the Father, Son, and Spirit are and have done for us.

Fellowship is not simply a discussion among Christians. It is not simply a "meeting of minds" or a debate over topics. One need not be a Christian at all to discuss topics or debate over issues. Anyone can do that. To have genuine fellowship with the Body of Christ a believer must first be in the fellowship of the Triune God. He must first "walk in the light" of fellowship (1 John 1:7). Without the light of fellowship of the Triune God, it is impossible to have fellowship with the members of the Body of Christ. Cutting off the fellowship from the throne also cuts off the fellowship from the Body; just as cutting off the circulation to your hand deprives your fingers of the precious blood, so does the believer who cuts off the flow of fellowship from the throne of Grace.

To have an attitude of fellowship one must first be open to the light of fellowship from the throne. Second, he must also be open to the fellowship of the members of the Body of Christ. Again, this is like the flow of blood in your body. All the members of your physical body must receive the flow of blood as well as send the flow of blood to the other members. In the Body of Christ this requires sacrifice. It requires the cutting of of self and the flesh. It requires that every member be open to the fellowship, regardless if that fellowship is a faithful word for building up, or it is a corrective word that sometimes wounds our pride.

(More to come as the Lord inspires me.)

Ovedya

Fellowship must as you say be vertical before it can be horizontal, vertical fellowship is instigated by the Father we do not begin this work and neither can we end it. We love because He first loved us and fellowship is the result of that love, if love were a grape then wine would be the fellowship that flows from that love, there are two different grapes the grapes of love from which fellowship flows and the grapes of wrath.


Grace & truth, H.

This good stuff. (IMG:http://www.worthyboards.com/style_emoticons/default/thumbsup.gif) (IMG:http://www.worthyboards.com/style_emoticons/default/thumbsup.gif) (IMG:http://www.worthyboards.com/style_emoticons/default/thumbsup.gif) I never looked at fellowship quite like this before. It should be mandatory reading for ALL the brethren.

I anxiously await more teaching Beau.

May the Lord Bless you richly,
Wayne

Hello I found this interesting. To have fellowship which is in the Spirit, one must be in the Spirit. I sometimes have the privilege of meeting "unchurched" Christians with a real relationship with Jesus, and the fellowship just flows....like when 2 or more flames join together, there is a whole lot of heat! But I confess much of my institutional church background has been very dry in fellowship terms. I love Jesus and I want to talk about Him. Hard to find others who feel the same.
Thanks!
Love, EphesiansGal

I know what you mean EG.

You make a good point in that there is a difference between the Church and church.

One is the Body of believers joined together with Christ at the head. The other is just a place.

True fellowship can happen most anywhere two or more believers are gathered. I find more real "fellowship" in the jail I minister in than I do on Sunday morning.

Thank you Ovedya that was very insightful.

Those who are saved by Christ, have to love each other, and they have to be built up by each others' faith.

As I see it, this comes from sharing of testimonies, and telling what the Lord did for us. We should share our concerns, our struggles and our victories in the Lord.
If we don't understand something then we should ask each other, and find the answer from the Word of God.

This is the only way we can pray for each other, -- as I see it.

Unfortunately in my church the fellowship is extremely superficial. Nobody has the opportunity to any of the above. All we have is to shake hands between two stanzas, and this is what they call 'fellowship'.

Hiya Wayne and all,
I have wanted to do prison work for a while. I am in the UK and have wondered how I might get that started, other than getting myself arrested LOL!
I am sure that the early church knew the power of God and His love between them in a way that would probably shock us today, we can be so luke warm.
Longing for restoration.
Love, EphesiansGal

Ovedya...

We should praise the Lord for our mutual felloship in Christ... Personally I am thankful for Brother Lee and Living Stream Ministry...there is a sweet flow of fellowship in the divine life meeting in the local churches.

(As you already know Ovedya) In the local churches we are being mingled in fellowship with the processed triune God-embodied in Christ-realized as the Spirit- now indwelling us for the perfecting and producing of the builded church to consumate in the reality of the body of Christ.

Brother I have to ask myself... what more will the Lord inspire you with???

The Lord has inspired me -

One cannot "fellowship" in secret. It must be a sharing, a participation with others. In the case of prayer, in which we are told to go into our closet, it is a sharing of the bareing of the soul in prayer to God. In the case of sharing fellowship with the saints, it cannot be done without sharing the burdens of those who are in need. The same word translated "fellowship" in your excellent post, is also translated in other passages of scripture as "contribution, communication, communion, communicate, and distribution, all of which constitute a "fellowship" (koinonia = Strong's 2842) in one way or another.


Rom 15:26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain CONTRIBUTION for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.

1 Cor 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the COMMUNION of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the COMMUNION of the body of Christ?

2 Cor 9:13 Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for [your] liberal DISTRIBUTION unto them, and unto all [men];

2 Cor 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the COMMUNION of the Holy Ghost, [be] with you all. Amen.

Phlm 1:6 That the COMMUNICATION of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

Heb 13:16 But to do good and to COMMUNICATE forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Yours is an Excellent post, inspired indeed.